Friday, October 14, 2022

Numbers 23:13

Numbers 23:13 says, And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.  Balak was not giving up easily.  He told Balaam to come to where he could only see a part of the people of Israel and to curse that part.  Evidently Balaam was still willing to attempt to do what Balak wanted instead of not doing what God had told him not to do.  We cannot compromise God's word by trying to get around it.  Verse fourteen adds, And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.  They once again went up a mountain and built seven altars and offered a bullock and ram on each, but these were not really sacrifices to God, but were attempts to bribe God.  Giving to God in an attempt to get Him to do our will never works.  Verse fifteen continues, And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.  Once more, Balaam told Balak to remain where he was while Balaam went to meet the LORD yonder.  You would think by now that Balaam knew what God had already told him on several occasions.  When God has already given us an answer repeatedly, there is no need to continue to try and get a different answer.  Verse sixteen states, And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.  Once more God put His word in Balaam’s mouth and told him to go tell Balak what he said.  This is all we can do as followers of Christ and still remain faithful to Him.  Verse seventeen adds, And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?  When Balaam returned, the princes of Moab and Balak stood by his burnt offering, and he asked Balaam what God had said.  He was still expecting a different answer than the one Balaam had already given him from God.  Verse eighteen says, And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:  Balaam told Balak to hear and heed what he said, and this is all we can do as Christians today.  Verse nineteen adds, God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?  Balaam said that God said He was not a man that would lie, nor the son of man who would repent, and asked if He would not do what He said He would.  Once God has proclaimed His word, we are not going to change it just because it would benefit us to do so.  Verse twenty states, Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.  Balaam said he had received God's commandment to bless Israel,  God had blessed them, and Balaam could not change that.  God has blessed those who are His people today, and nothing in the world can ever change that. Verse twenty-one adds, He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.  Though they were often rebellious, those who were truly God's people were forgiven of their sins and then God saw no iniquity in them.  If we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then our sins are forgiven and God sees no iniquity in us.  Verse twenty-two continues, God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.  God brought Israel out of Egypt and gave them the strength of a unicorn, which must have been a great strength.  When God brings us out of our sinful condition when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, He gives us great strength as long asxe are faithful to Him.  Verse twenty-three declares, Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!  Balaam said God had pronounced that there was no enchantment or divination against Jacob and Israel, because if there were people would ask what had God wrought.  Since God is the source of our salvation, we need never fear losing it.  Verse twenty-four adds,  Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.  God said like a hungry lion, Isreal would rise up and could not be stopped.  Neither can we be defeated by the world as Christians today as long as we put our faith in God and are faithful to His word.  Verse twenty-five says, And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.  Balak then told Balaam to neither curse nor bless the people of Israel.  We cannot stay neutral with God.  We either bless Him or curse Him.  Verse twenty-six adds,But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?  At least Balaam recognized that he had to obey God's word.  Even if we want Him to say something else than what He tells us, we must obey God.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.  Balak wasn't giving up.  He told Balaam that he would take him to another place, and maybe God would give him another or different answer.  What we must acknowledge is that God is the same no matter where we go, and so is His word.  Verse twenty-eight states, And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. The question is was Balaam still willing to do what Balak said instead of what God said.  Once God has told us something, not just once but several times, we need to listen to Him and not the world, even if we have been promised great riches if we do what the world wants us to do.  Verse thirty continues, And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.  Balak wanted Balaam to do the same thing again, which was to curse at least a part of Israel in the name of God.  No matter how persistent they may be, we as Christians cannot let the people of the world lead us to attempt to do something against God's will.

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